African leaders are meeting in Kenya's capital Nairobi for talks on accelerating the implementation of a continent-wide free trade area agreement.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) seeks to boost trade among African neighbours and aims to bring together 1.3 billion people in a $3.4 trillion economic bloc.
It aims to be the world’s largest free trade area, bringing together 54 countries.
“This single market will lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and boost incomes,” said Kenya's President William Ruto.
The meeting is being attended by Egypt's Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, Nigeria's Bola Tinubu, Gabon's Ali Bongo Ondiba, Senegal's Macky Sall and Democratic Republic of Congo's Felix Tshisekedi.
Others are Comoros President Azali Assoumani and Djibuti's Ismail Omar Guelleh.
Deliberations will be between the African Union and regional blocs on implementation of the continental integration. The blocs will highlight actions carried out this year.
The regional blocs are Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the East African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).
African countries began officially trading under AfCFTA on January 1 2021.
Trade between African nations accounts for around 10% of the 55-nation continent's total commerce, a ratio that has been in gradual decline over the past decade and which compares unfavourably to 25% in southeast Asia.
Kenya's President William Ruto called for reforms to make the African Union more autonomous.
“We must free the AU from constraints so that it can pursue urgent and critical interventions in the continent using internally-generated resources,” said Ruto.
“The chronic dependence on well-meaning partners is inconsistent with this aspiration.”
